L'Innocence de la tresillvstre tres-chaste, et debonnaire princesse, Madame Marie Royne d'Escosse. : Ou sont amplement refutées les calomnies faulces & impositions iniques, publiées par vn liure secrettement diuulgué en France, l'an 1572. touchant tant la mort du Seigneur d'Arley son espoux, que autres crimes, dont elle est faulcement accusée. Plus, vn autre discours auquel sont decouuertes plusieurs trahisons tant manifestes, que iusques icy, cachées, perpetrées par les mesmes calomniateurs..
Belleforest, François de,1530-1583.
[France : s.n.],
Imprimé l'an 1572..
Running title: L'Innocence de la Royne d'Escosse.
For variations between different copies of this work, question of imprint (Paris? Lyon?), and authorship, cf. John Scott's Bibl. of Mary Queen of Scots, 1544-1700 (Publications of the Edinb. Bibl. Soc. v. II, 1896) no. 85. From Scott's analysis it appears (1) that if François de Belleforest, to whom the authorship is attributed by many bibliographers, had any part in its production it was only as editor and translator; (2) that the "Advertissement" is a translation of the second part of "A treatise of treasons against Q. Elizabeth," printed anon., "Ianuarie ... MDLXXII" (Scott's no. 83);
(3) that the first part, "Contre les peruerses calomnies," etc., is a reply to the "Histoire de Marie, Royne d'Escosse ... Edinbourg [i.e. La Rochelle?] 1572" (Scott's no. 82), which according to the "Advertissement" (leaf a3 verso) is a French translation by P. Camuz, of George Buchanan's [Detectio, sive] De Maria Scotorum Regina ... Historia [1571?] Scott's no. 75);
(4) that the second part, "Discours contre les conspirations pretendues" etc., is a translation of the first part of the "Treatise of Treasons" (Scott's no. 83) which is a reply, paragraph by paragraph, to the tract "Salutem in Christo" (Scott's no. 69).
The Detectio (no. 75), the Histoire de Marie, Royne d'Escosse (no. 82) and the present work (L'Innocence, etc.) are reprinted in Samuel Jebb's De vita et rebus gestis ... Mariae ... autores sedecim, 1725, v. 1. The Detectio is also in Buchanan's works edited by T. Ruddiman, 1715, v. 1.
Signatures: a-b⁸ c⁴ A-I⁸ k⁸ L-M⁸ O² N⁴ P-Z⁸ Aa⁸ .
Some copies issued without signature O, cf. Scott.
Leaves irregularly numbered.
With 2 final leaves of errata.
Scott, J. "Mary Queen of Scots" PEBS 2 (1896): 1-96
Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587.
Buchanan, George, 1506-1582.
R. G.
Salutem in Christo.